caesura

[ si-zhoor-uh, -zoor-uh, siz-yoor-uh ]

/ sɪˈʒʊər ə, -ˈzʊər ə, sɪzˈyʊər ə /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for caesura on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural cae·su·ras, cae·su·rae

[si-zhoor-ee, -zoor-ee, siz-yoor-ee]. /sɪˈʒʊər i, -ˈzʊər i, sɪzˈyʊər i/.

Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.

Classical Prosody. a division made by the ending of a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.

any break, pause, or interruption.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also cesura.

Origin of caesura

1550–60; <Latin, equivalent to caes(us) cut (past participle of caedere) (caed- cut + -tus past participle suffix) + -ūra-ure

OTHER WORDS FROM caesura

cae·su·ral, cae·su·ric, adjective

Words nearby caesura

Caesar salad, caesious, caesium, caesium clock, caespitose, caesura, Caetano, C.A.F., cafard, CAFE, café au lait

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caesura in a sentence

This is a detail from "Caesura" by Emily Henretta, on view now at Room East in New York.
Printed Circuit|Blake Gopnik|October 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Notice some examples where the caesura necessarily preserves a final -e from elision, as in B 3989; where tal-e occurs before al.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes|Geoffrey Chaucer
Hence there is no need to elide a vowel at the caesura; it must therefore be sounded clearly.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes|Geoffrey Chaucer
The latter syllable of profit comes at the caesura, and is easily read quickly.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer

In verses of eleven or twelve syllables, however, the caesura is usually employed to give a break in a determined place.
Legends, Tales and Poems|Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
The caesura requires a strong accent on the syllable preceding it, and does not prevent synalepha.
Legends, Tales and Poems|Gustavo Adolfo Becquer

British Dictionary definitions for caesura

caesura

/ (sɪˈzjʊərə) /

noun plural -ras or -rae (-riː)

(in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse lineUsual symbol: ||

(in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line

Derived forms of caesura

caesural, adjective

Word Origin for caesura

C16: from Latin, literally: a cutting, from caedere to cut

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

caesura

Origin of caesura

OTHER WORDS FROM caesura

Words nearby caesura

Words related to caesura

How to use caesura in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caesura

Derived forms of caesura

Word Origin for caesura